Today is May Day, or as we in the labor movement call it, International Workerās Day- a day of celebration and resistance for working class people. It is a day not only of looking forward to the future, but also remembering the lessons of the past. May Day commemoratesĀ the struggleĀ of theĀ Haymarket Martyrs, a group of labor organizers, most of them immigrants, executed in Chicago for their work in the Eight Hour Day movement. The Eight Hour Day was the first time that workers around the world joined together in one campaign, supporting each otherās strikes and protests around aĀ single demand- reduce the work day to eight hours, without a cut in pay. The movement faced violence and arrests from governments, but eventually won in country after country. The eight hour day became the basic work day for workers across the countries where the movement fought, with victories across Europe, North and South America, Australia, Iran, Japan, and elsewhere. Over a century ago, workers realized the power we have when we refuse to be divided by borders, industry, or race.
This May Day is also the Day Without Immigrants. It is the latest in a wave of of day strikeĀ by immigrant workers- not only to protestĀ wages and work conditions, but also to protest the Trumpās plans to increase deportations.Ā Under the TrumpāsĀ ramping up of the Obama administrationās already record-breaking deportations, ICE has increasingly targeted previously protected DREAMers and other undocumented peopleĀ āREAD MOREā
